1997-1998 In Review

SEPTEMBER

8 - U.S. News & World Report ranks Harvard first among the nation's colleges, after an anomalous third-place ranking last year.

10 - A contentious three-year battle with the University ends as the trustees of the Phillips Brooks House Association vote to accept a compromise plan that will keep PBHA in the Yard and under the Harvard umbrella.

12 - The Barker Center, an airy, modern home for the humanities departments, is dedicated in the old Freshman Union building

17 - Carol A. Gilligan, a psychologist famous for her work on women's development, is named the first Patricia Albjerg Graham professor of gender studies at the Graduate School of Education. The appointment comes amid continuing disputes about the lack of tenured women professors at the University.

22 - An anti-Semitic poster is found on a kiosk behind Sever Hall, the third hate poster found within a week.

26 - Harvard's endowment, already the largest university endowment in the nation, swells to about $11 billion, an increase of more than 25 percent.

29 - Scott Krueger, a first-year at MIT, dies of alcohol poisoning after a drinking binge at a fraternity party. The death draws national attention, and MIT responds with a severe crackdown on underage drinking.

OCTOBER

1 - Jeffrey Curley, a 10-year-old Cambridge boy, disappears while washing his grandmother's dog. His body is dredged from a Maine river the next week and suspects are brought up on kidnapping and murder charges. His funeral attracts more than 1,500 mourners.

4 - The University celebrates the 25th anniversary of women's residency in the Yard with a ceremony and the dedication of a commemorative gate.

10 - Gay and lesbian students celebrate National Coming Out Day with posters and stickers. The following day, an anti-gay "Coming Out of Homosexuality" conference sponsored by the Law School's Society for Law, Life and Religion draws dozens of student protesters.

13 - More than 80 Native American students and supporters gather for a candlelight vigil protesting the celebration of Columbus Day.

14 - Robert C. Merton, Baker professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for a formula that allows accurate calculation of certain financial risks.

17 - Deshaun R. Hill '99 and Harvard C. Nabrit Stephens '99, who were killed in a car crash over the Fourth of July weekend, are remembered at a Memorial Church service.

23 - Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III releases a statement strengthening the College's alcohol policy, which is moving towards "no tolerance" for underage drinkers, he says.

27 - Harvard Dining Services (HDS) decides it will resume serving grapes in dining halls after a five-year ban. Several students object to the decision on feedback cards, citing concerns about labor practices on grape farms, and HDS postpones its decision in November.

NOVEMBER

1 - In a landmark speech in Sanders Theatre, Chinese President Jiang Zemin praises U.S.-Chinese relations and hints that there might be room for improvement in his government's policies. Outside the hall, more than 5,000 pro- and anti-Jiang protesters demonstrate and exchange slogans. Freed dissident Harry Wu addresses a crowd on the steps of Memorial Church.

2 - The Tasty, a greasy but beloved eatery, closes after 81 years of service in Harvard Square.

5 - A $21 million gift from Albert J. Weatherhead III '50 establishes the Weatherhead International Relations Initiative.

11 - Leaders of the Radcliffe Union of Students and other campus feminists raise ethical questions about Harvard's investments upon learning the University owns more than 20,000 shares of stock in Playboy Enterprises.

17 - An internal athletic department report reveals that Harvard spent $500,000 more on men's teams than on women's teams in the past academic year, and that head coaches for men earn more than women's coaches.

22 - The football team stomps Yale 17-7 in the 114th annual playing of the game. The team also captures its first Ivy League title in a decade.

25 - Students are disappointed when a proposal to offer universal keycard access in the Houses stalls at a meeting of the Committee on House Life, despite the support of some masters.

29 - The women's soccer team loses to the University of North Carolina--the No. 1 ranked team in the country--in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

DECEMBER

3 - After several weeks of rallies, public forums and a candlelight vigil, students vote by a slender margin to return grapes to dining halls. More than 3,000 undergraduates cast ballots in the "Great Grape Referendum," a higher turnout than the last election for the Undergraduate Council.

9 - Jeffrey A. Masten, Cowles associate professor in the humanities, is denied tenure. Masten was the only junior Faculty member in seven years to be recommended for promotion by his department.

10 - Pledging to reverse a trend towards liberal activist leadership, Beth A. Stewart '00 is elected president of the Undergraduate Council.

12 - A major survey on race relations at Harvard reveals a campus divided over racial and ethnic questions. The poll was conducted by the Institute of Politics with support from The Crimson after the Committee on Undergraduate Research Projects, fearful of creating tension at the College, denied the project funding.

JANUARY

5 - Former U.S. Sen. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) is tapped to head the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, The Crimson reports.

15 - Robert M. Coles '50, Agee professor of social ethics at the Graduate School of Education, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by a long-time admirer, President Clinton.

21 - Mary I. Bunting-Smith, the fifth president of Radcliffe College, dies at her home in Hanover, N.H. at the age of 87.

23 - Lani Guinier '71 accepts an offer of tenure at Harvard Law School, becoming the first black woman to hold tenure in the Law School's 181-year history.

24 - The Crimson celebrates its 125th anniversary.

26 - The Hasty Pudding Theatricals select actors Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline as its Woman and Man of the Year.

31 - Joshua M. Elster '00 is arrested on charges of rape and battery of an unnamed undergraduate woman. Three days later, a spokesperson for the Harvard University Police Department admits his department inadvertently but illegally omitted the arrest from its public blotter.

FEBRUARY

8 - The Undergraduate Council votes to allocate $20,000 to hire the band Sister Hazel for Springfest. After the band becomes unavailable, the council decides to feature student bands at its April festival of food and entertainment.

9 - Two weeks after Princeton announces major increases in its financial aid program, Yale does the same. In the next month, Stanford and MIT follow suit. President Neil L. Rudenstine promises Harvard will keep its aid within "shouting distance" of other colleges.

17 - In response to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' choice of Kevin Kline as Man of the Year, the Lampoon honors wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage as its Real Man of the Year.

19 - Harvard and Radcliffe are at odds over a lease agreement for Byerly Hall, home to the undergraduate admissions office and the offices for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Radcliffe has previously allowed Harvard to use the space rent-free.

26 - Widener Library will undergo a major, $3 million overhaul beginning in 1999, President Rudenstine says. In April, Katherine B. Loker donates $17 million for heating, air-conditioning and ventilation of the 80-year-old facility.

MARCH

3 - Two dozen students join a Central Square community protest of a proposed luxury apartment complex on the site of several local businesses. The proposed construction is one element of an ongoing gentrification of the Central Square area.

12 - Michelle L. Woodbury '00 appears partially-clad in Playboy's College Girls edition.

13 - Diana L. Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, and her partner Dorothy A. Austin are chosen to replace William and Mary Bossert as masters of Lowell House. They are the first same-sex couple to serve as masters of a Harvard House. The next day, physicist Howard Georgi and his wife Ann B. Georgi are chosen to replace John and Judy Dowling as masters of Leverett House.

Also, U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, Cambridge's representative in Congress, announces he will not seek reelection. Several Democratic candidates quickly step forward to run in the heavily Democratic district.

14 - The women's basketball team, led by forward Allison S. Feaster '98, defeats top-seed Stanford to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team's run ends two days later at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Feaster soon becomes the first female Harvard basketball player selected as a Kodak All-American.

15 - David L. Okrent '99 is found stabbed to death on Boston's Revere Beach. After a police investigation, the death is ruled a suicide.

24 - President Rudenstine meets with Jiang Zemin a second time, becoming the first sitting president to visit China while on a historic spring break trip through East Asia.

APRIL

2 - In an article in Commentary magazine, Justin C. Danilewitz '99 alleges that The Crimson's efforts to diversify its editorial board have resulted in anti-Jewish practices. Danilewitz had applied for but was denied a position on The Crimson's editorial board.

5 - A reference to DuBois professor of the humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. as "Head Negro In Charge" in a Boston magazine headline elicits protests from leaders of the city's black community.

7 - Robert J. Barro, Waggoner professor of economics, announces he will leave Harvard for Columbia University next year. A week later he reverses his decision, without explanation.

13 - Radcliffe College may relinquish its role as an undergraduate college and become an "allied institution," sources tell The Crimson. The next week, students rally in Radcliffe Yard in support of the college.

15 - Smoking will be banned in all undergraduate Houses for the first time, College officials announce.

25 - Hundreds of students attend Springfest despite the absence of a big-name band.

MAY

6 - Rudenstine wins a political victory as he leads a coalition to defeat the Riggs Amendment to the Higher Education Act, which would have banned federal funding to colleges using affirmative action in admissions decisions.

10 - Parade of Stars, an Oscar-like awards ceremony for the College, presents statues to organizations and individuals in several categories. The student-run event had been criticized by many students, and several groups declined their nominations.

14 - The yield for high school seniors accepting College admission rises to nearly 80 percent, the highest figure in decades.

18 - Harvard University and Radcliffe College announce new gifts supporting matching funds. Harvard's $15 million fund will match major gifts from women donors; Radcliffe's $3 million fund will match general purpose donations to Radcliffe.